Foul forecast washes out Batesville

By Ben Deatherage BATESVILLE, Ark. (Mar. 28, 2025) — The opening night of the Wimp Reed Spring Nationals at Batesville Motor Speedway delivered a dramatic finish in the 31-lap, $1,500-to-win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature. The race, held in memory of longtime tech man and former driver Wimp Reed, came down to a near last-lap move by Jonesboro 17-year-old Grayson Moore. It is his first win in the Jet Racing Central Region this year. John Waugh led the opening lap before Brandon Smith charged into the lead. A fierce battle for second between Ashton Wilkey and Waugh allowed Moore to make a slick double pass and jump to second. Smith pulled away up front until a lap 11 caution slowed the field. The yellow proved costly for 2023 Arkansas State Champion Wilkey, who suffered right-front damage while attempting to avoid a spinning car. Smith was strong on the restart, but another caution kept the pack tight. 2012 IMCA Super Nationals winner Jeff Taylor moved into third and battled Moore for second. Once Moore got clear, he [Read More]

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 13-14, 2022) – He might have to travel 1,100 miles to get there but Zane DeVilbiss still feels right at home at Batesville Motor Speedway. The New Mexico long tow topped Thursday and Friday night IMCA.TV World Stock Car Championship features at the Arkansas speedplant, earning $4,000 for each IMCA Sunoco Stock Car victory. “I feel like Batesville is a cross between Desert Thunder Raceway (in Utah) and Fairgrounds Speedway (in Colorado), two of our home tracks. It has the shape of price and the dirt consistency of Cortez,” said the two-division star and 2021 Race For Hope 71 Modified winner, newly eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. “It kind of fits the skill set I have growing up on those two tracks or, as Jeff Taylor would say, where I cut my teeth on.” DeVilbiss drew the pole start for the Thursday show and led all 40 laps, winning ahead of Peyton Taylor, Chanse Hollatz, T.J Herndon and Jeffrey Abbey. That checkered was the first [Read More]

BATESVILLE, Ark. (March 23-24) – A first-time visitor and a regular at Batesville Motor Speed­way both raced their way to victory lane during the Arkansas Spring Nationals. Hunter Marriott topped Friday’s IMCA Modified feature while Jeff Taylor went from last on open­ing night to first in the Saturday show. Both features paid $1,500 to win and both Marriott and Taylor were already on the ballot for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Marriott started opening night from outside the front row and led the distance, pulling away from everybody en route to his eight Fast Shafts ballot qualifying victory already this season and 11th since last August. After running in lapped traffic much of the way, Marriott won ahead of Tyler Stevens, Peyton Tay­lor, Jeff James and Mark Norris. “We were getting ready to race and decided on Thursday to go to Batesville,” Marriott said. “We went down there to learn and had a pretty good weekend.” Jeff Taylor, a double winner at Spring Nationals each of the last two years, started on the pole, held [Read More]